Konoha's Red Wind
by TheRoaringDragon
Summary: Discontinued!
1. Setting the Stage

Konoha's Red Wind

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 1

* * *

The full moon was high in the night heavens when he arrived at the battlefield. Bodies of dead shinobi, his soldiers, littered the ground in a massive circle. An ominous silence filled the clearing; the only sound being that of tree leaves swaying in the wind. It sent chills down his spine.

There were two bodies that weren't consumed by death, however. Both stood in the center of the clearing, and he could see from their postures that they were both stricken with grief. The smaller one, a boy, no older than fourteen, was on his knees, his head turned downward. His companion, a man somewhere in his thirties, stood next to him. Both of their backs were turned toward him. The man seemed to sense his approach and turned to face him. The boy didn't notice, sitting shock still next to the body of his mentor.

What really got his attention, though, was the small bundle in his student's arms. It squirmed a little when he took it, but a few moments later it relaxed in his hold.

"So this is him?" He slowly rocked the child back and forth, much like he had done with his own children.

"Yeah, sensei. This is Naruto Uzumaki." His head nodded in approval. His mother's name would attract less attention, and it fit anyways, considering the red hair he sported on his scalp.

"I'm assuming the sealing was a success then?" His student took a moment to collect himself before nodding.

"And Kushina?" His silence was all the answer he needed.

The old man sighed resignedly, still holding the babe in his arms. They had lost many good shinobi that night. But the village was safe; for now. And for now, that was all that mattered.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he sat behind his old desk. Twenty jonin. Thirty chunin. Fifty casualties. Seventeen wounded. The Nine Tailed Fox left a trail of devastation in its wake. In a time of war, these numbers would mean nothing. But in an era of peace, such as the one they were experiencing now, those fifty meant everything.

He looked over to his right, where Jiraiya was still holding Naruto. Despite the tragedy that had befallen them, it felt right watching the two of them together. Godfather and godson. He knew that they would make a great team together someday.

Naruto's face was relaxed in slumber. They all should be asleep by now, considering how late it was. But there was still too much to do after the attack, and too many things to sort out.

"He looks so much like his mother,' he said. It was true: he had his mother's coloring. The bright red hair that made his head seem like it was on fire, the blue eyes that watched everything progress earlier with a monstrous curiosity (He got that from his father's own thirst for knowledge.). Since he was just a baby, it was a little hard to tell where his bone structure originated, but from the look of things, Jiraiya was willing to bet he got it from his mother.

"What do we do now?" Jiraiya asked. A note of uncertainty that wasn't there since he was a genin rang in his voice. He was glad that he wasn't Hokage: in a situation like this, he knew absolutely nothing about what they were going to do.

"Tomorrow," his sensei began, "we'll have a funeral for the lives lost." He paused again before crushing him with his next statement.

"You can't take him with you, Jiraiya."

That single sentence left a painful feeling in his gut, like someone had just punched him in his abdomen. No. Sarutobi-sensei wouldn't do this to him. He had just lost his favorite student, his son if not by blood, then by heart. Now, sensei expected him to give Naruto up? Who would take care of him? Who would tell him about his mother and father? Who would teach him about the great leader and ninja Minato was, or the fearsome kunoichi Kushina grew to be? He needed to be there: he needed someone to always be there for him. He was Naruto's godfather, damn it!

"Sensei, I'm his godfather! I'm the only family he has left!" He could barely stop a sob from escaping his throat. "He's my godson – you can't take him away from me!" He held on to Naruto possessively, like a mother bear trying to protect her cubs. His sensei wouldn't hurt Naruto, he knew that, subconsciously, but all that ran through his mind was the fact that Naruto and he would be separated. His sensei looked at him sadly.

"You know that wouldn't be wise, Jiraiya."

"But I can take care of him, sensei! I can make sure that he's safe," he pleaded. "With Minato and Kushina gone, who will take care of him? The Council will throw a fit if you try to take him. With the fox sealed inside, he'll turn into the village pariah!"

A small crying sound distracted Jiraiya from his ranting. He soothed Naruto, whispering soft words of comfort to the child, until he fell back asleep. The Hokage chose that moment to interrupt, knowing that if he waited longer, he probably wouldn't get a word in edgewise.

"Jiraiya, I know that you would be a great guardian for Naruto." He angled his head back at his sensei.

"Then what's the problem?" he asked. "I can take care of him." The old man sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

"Jiraiya, as much as I think you would be great for the boy, you can't take him outside of the village-"

"And why not?" he protested. The Hokage raised his hand in front of him.

"Let me finish. You would be a great guardian. But Naruto needs a more stable environment to grow up in. what about your research network? Having a child that can't even walk by himself would prevent you from getting to places only adults can.

"And what of his safety? Can you honestly give me a hone hundred percent guarantee that Naruto would be safer out there, than in these village walls?" Jiraiya wanted to say yes, that he would protect him from anything – but he knew that he couldn't. A ninja's life is dangerous. And with all of the enemies he's made, anyone could easily target him through Naruto. Or worse: if an enemy were to discover the truth, that Naruto was a jinchuuriki, on top of being the Fourth Hokage's son, he would be in grave danger.

"Jiraiya. I don't want to separate you and Naruto. But if you leave, Naruto needs to stay." Jiraiya looked down at Naruto again. His red hair was slightly tilted to his left, showing the beginnings of a cowlick.

"It's for his own good, Jiraiya." He knew that he wouldn't be able to take Naruto. He'd be at risk outside of the village. Here, at least, he would be safe. But could he bring himself to leave, so soon after Minato's death, when his godson needed him the most?

He stood, slowly walking to where the Third Hokage was sitting. He handed Naruto over quietly and carefully, making sure to support his small head. After Minato and Kushina's child was safely in the arms of his mentor, Jiraiya turned around, and left, making sure not to shut the door too loudly behind him.

* * *

To Kakashi, the funeral took an excruciating long amount of time. It took place out in the middle of the street, where everybody could see, right in front of the Hokage Tower. The Hokage spoke into a microphone at the front. Jiraiya and all of the Hokage's advisors stood in a line behind him. The Minato's and Kushina's coffin were situated side by side on the right. Everyone else's body would be cremated: such was the life of a shinobi. "Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust," was the ninja's policy on the dead. Only the Hokage and their closest loved ones, were to have their bodies buried; it was the shinobi way. Though the crowd was a mixture of ninja and civilian alike, both groups understood that this was the way.

The longest part of the ceremony was the reading of all the names. He could hear several of the people in the crowd sobbing; others, like him, only stood silently, with their heads down in respect. But no matter what a person was doing, all of them kept their attention on the Hokage standing at the front. He kept reading the names aloud, and though Kakashi knew that it was a shinobi's duty to live and die for the village, he felt a measure of relief knowing that no one in his generation was having their names called today.

Hearing the last two names was the most painful part.

"…Uzumaki Kushina. Namikaze Minato." At his name, almost everyone in the audience started crying. The Hokage gathered himself before speaking again.

"The Nine Tailed Fox appeared at the outskirts of the village last night, at approximately eighteen hundred hours. The Fourth Hokage managed to seal the monstrous beast into the body of a newborn infant. The sealing was successful, but the strain was too much for him. Minato gave his life to protect the village, but that does not undermine the sacrifice of all the others who fought and died yesterday. These shinobi gave their lives to protect the safety of this village, to prevent the fox from coming any closer to our home.

"Let us honor their memories by living not for the past, mourning the loss of loved ones for all eternity. We all must eventually move on; for that is the nature of life itself. Life moves on, and in order for us to keep living, we must move on as well." He paused.

"From this day onward, any and all discussion about the sealing about the Nine Tailed Fox in the presence of citizens born during and after last year is forbidden."

The decree sent murmurs throughout the crowd. Kakashi looked at the Hokage in disbelief. Forbidden? Why was it forbidden? Angry shouts came from the villagers, all directed towards the Hokage.

"What do you mean forbidden?"

"You don't have the right to do that!

"Don't we have the right to say what we want to say?"

Many of these questions ran through Kakashi's head as well. What reason would Lord Hokage have to be so controlling with his citizens? The Hokage waited for the crowd's angry shouts to die down before speaking again. That was one thing Kakashi admired about him: his everlasting patience.

"This new law is to be effective immediately. All perpetrators violating this decree will be detained indefinitely." That shut most of the crowd up. "The sealing of the Nine Tailed Fox, and who it was sealed into, will be from now on treated as an S class secret until further notice. Anyone that is asked about what happened to the fox will respond that the Fourth Hokage defeated it in battle."

Kakashi could feel the growing uncertainty within the mob. They were unsure: why was this, the true outcome of an attack on the village, warranted to be an S class secret? Some of the horde began to disperse, but the Hokage wasn't finished speaking.

"I assure you, this is done to ensure the welfare of our village, namely, the newest generation of citizens in Konoha." And with that, the ceremony was over. The villagers, a little bit more at ease after the Hokage's last sentence, started to leave. A few of the more muscular ninja moved forward, to carry the bodies to the only cemetery in the village – the one designed for the Hokages.

"Lord Hokage!" The older man stopped in the middle of his stride. Kakashi used his momentary pause to run up to him. "Lord Hokage, would it be an appropriate time to seek an audience with you?" The Hokage gave him a haunted smile, and for the first time, Kakashi noticed exactly how old the Hokage was. His wrinkles stuck out a lot more now than ever before.

"Of course, Kakashi. Come, follow me into my office." He bowed in respect.

"Yes, sir." Kakashi remembered to keep a respectful distance as they strode through the halls of the Hokage Tower. There was an odd silence in the building, as if no one dared to speak after the Hokage's decree.

He closed the door behind him when they got to the Hokage's office. The Hokage slowly walked over behind his desk, and sat down. He folded his hands together on the desk in front of him.

"What is it you would like to discuss, Kakashi?" Kakashi fidgeted with his hands nervously. He took a deep breath, and dropped to his knees, touching his forehead protector on the carpet.

"I wish to apply for a position within the ANBU." He waited an eternity for his answer.

"No."

"Lord Hokage, please," he was almost begging.

"No, Kakashi. You have the skill, but you're too young. And with the recent attack on the village, we need all the shinobi that we can get." The fourteen year old shook his head.

"But that's _why _I need to be in ANBU! Lord Hokage, with Minato-sensei gone, we can't afford to lose another Hokage so soon! The village would be devastated if another disaster occurred. If the number of ANBU members increased, we'd be able to take more secure measures within the village."

The Hokage didn't reply an answer. Kakashi could feel the Hokage's eyes, scrutinizing him. Piercing him. Searching for any hesitation, any uncertainty in his decision. He found none.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Kakashi?" The Hokage asked.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

"Normally, ANBU members must be recruited into the program for their skill," the Hokage paused for dramatic effect, "but I think, considering your impressive record, we can forgo that process. Boar!"

A masked ANBU dropped from the ceiling. Kakashi was surprised that he didn't notice he was there. Oh well, he supposed. This was one of the things that he still needed to learn.

"Take Kakashi down to ANBU headquarters. Introduce him to the program."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Was it just him, or did Kakashi hear a hint of smugness in that little exchange?

Hiruzen chuckled as the ANBU led the silver haired teen out of the room. It seemed that even in the face of tragedy, Kakashi still had the will of fire within him.

"Minato taught him well," he said to no one in particular.

A voice answered from the doorway, "He was the best of the best."

He was surprised: he had thought Jiraiya would have left already. It seemed like he was about to though. He was dressed in his normal travel clothes, and the giant scroll he carried was strapped to his back. A smaller pack was slung carelessly over his shoulder.

"I take it you're leaving then?" he asked.

"Yeah. If I don't talk to my contacts once in a while, they'll think I'm dead." Jiraiya lifted a hand to scratch his cheek and smiled sheepishly. "Besides, I was born a traveler, sensei. I can't stay in one place too long. I get restless." He dropped the casualties.

"I won't be back for a while, Sensei. If I stay…" he trailed off, but the Hokage was able to pick up the unspoken thought.

_I won't be able to leave. _He understood. "You're always welcome to visit, Jiraiya. I'm sure that Naruto would be happy to see you."

"With all due respect, I don't think he'll remember me then next time I see him," he said. "Kids grow up fast."

"You never know. He may surprise you, considering his parents, and all," he laughed.

"Right, Sensei." An awkward silence passed, before Jiraiya started to leave the room.

"Do you want to say goodbye? He seemed quite attached to you." Jiraiya didn't turn around.

"No, I don't think that would be such a great idea. I'd probably lose my nerve." Hiruzen watched sadly as his student all but ran out of the room.

* * *

"Don't turn around," he said to himself. "If you go back, you won't leave."

Jiraiya struggled not to turn around and run to his godson. He was only three miles away from the village, if he ran-

"NO!" He could barely manage to keep his hands from tearing his hair out.

"No. Naruto is safe there." All he had to do was convince himself that he would be fine.

"You can't take him, and you can't stay. Deal with it, Jiraiya!" Sarutobi-sensei would handle things. He can take care of Naruto. The spawn of Minato and Kushina could handle itself…even though he was just a baby.

"Stop it. You're a member of the Sannin," he assured himself. "The Legendary Three. The Toad Hermit. You don't need Naruto dragging you down!"

_And Naruto doesn't need you,_ said the more cynical part of his mind. The darker side, that part of his psyche that held all of his bad memories. All of his failures.

_Naruto doesn't need you. Why would he need you, the great Perverted Hermit Jiraiya? If anything, you'd screw up his life by being in it. You couldn't even protect your other students, so why would you be able to protect him?_ It was right. Naruto didn't need him. He'd already ruined the lives of those kids from Rain Country, and he arrived at the battlefield too late to help Minato. Who was to say that he wouldn't make a mess of Naruto's life?

"No," he said. "Naruto will be different." Jiraiya turned to face the village walls in the distance.

"I'll come back, Naruto. I'll come back, and this time, I won't screw up. I'll protect you. I promise."

* * *

**A/N:** Here's an attempt at another story. I've been feeling a bit in the Naruto mood lately, and so I watched that Shippuden episode where Naruto talks to his mom. When I got to the part where she says that she hoped that he didn't inherit her verbal tic, I started thinking, what would Naruto's life be like, if instead of getting Kushina's personality, he got Minato's?

Then I thought that he would be too much like his dad. The similarities would be too obvious, and everybody would be able to pull together an S class secret. So boom! Naruto gets his mom's hair! Well, he gets her hair and her eye color. That was, conveniently, in the episode too. But, I don't really like the way they drew his hair when it's red, and having it the same as Minato's feels weird to me. So, instead of that, he has short, spiky-ish red hair. Imagine Alphonse Elric's (from Fullmetal Alchemist) hair on Naruto, but color it red. But if you don't like it that way, whatever. Just imagine his hair a different style. His hairstyle isn't really as important as the whole red factor.

I'm not sure if Jiraiya was actually there during the Kyuubi attack, but for the sake of this chapter, he was. I know that I'm not the only one who's thought of or used the "Jiraiya wasn't there for Naruto because of his research (legitimate, not perverted)" storyline. I don't know if that was actually canon or not. I remember hearing of it somewhere before, but I honestly can't remember where/from who. Sorry for the lack of originality there, but that just happened to make the most sense to me, and I don't see very many people expanding on that aspect of Naruto's life that much. Everything else in the story should be all mine though (Yes, I understand that almost every single idea out there has been used once or twice, but bear with me please.).

Because overuse of Japanese in English annoys me, I'm trying to write many of the phrases that we are used to seeing/hearing in Japanese, in English. So, I'm sorry if I get a little repetitive, especially with people like the Hokage (It definitely felt like I was using that word too much…is that being contradictory to the first sentence in the paragraph?). Don't get me wrong, I feel that there are certain words and phrases that just sound better when said in Japanese, but after seeing so many fan fiction authors overuse some of the more common words in Japanese, I think I'd rather just go with how it sounds. I don't speak or read Japanese, so if I have a wrong translation or word somewhere, feel free to correct me. Expect to read this about the same as you would hear a dubbed over anime, with just a few Japanese words where necessary, like _jutsu, _or _shuriken,_ and the occational village name, such as _Konoha._

Wow, this is actually kind of a long Author's note. Anyways, I'd love some feedback, so drop by and review, please. Don't expect regular updates. I'm not a fairly regular person, and usually it takes me a while. But since this is one of those long-term-smaller-goal stories (At least, I like to think if it as one of those. It might be somewhere in the middle), not a super-fast-super-godly-power-in-five-chapters story (no offence to readers or writers of that category, it's just not my thing), a lot of this story will still mirror canon. I have no idea how long I plan to carry this story on for.

Did I mention that this is a REALLY long AN? Please leave some feedback, I'd love to hear where I need to improve, what you thought was good, etc. And from now on, I'll try to keep the Author notes down to a minimum. And sorry if I sound repetitive, or cynical, or uncaring, it's just that it's in the wee hours of the morning, and I feel like I should be asleep. For anyone who has read to the end of the Author's Note, CONGRATULATIONS. I imagine that it must sound a bit boring. Like the TERMS AND CONDITIONS of a software or company that you want to sign up for.

Anyways, thanks for reading, please leave some feedback, any and all people who read this far is so awesome, thanks!


	2. Prologue: A Ninja's Beginning

Konoha's Red Wind

Chapter 2

* * *

Now that he stood in front of the building, it was a lot harder to walk in, Naruto thought. He didn't know what he would get out of talking to this "Hokage,", but he knew he had to try.

He heard of him a lot, from the masked men – and occasional woman – that used to take care of him, and from the people that he passed on the streets, but he never actually heard that much about him. Before, he used to hear things like "Lord Hokage wants what is best for you" or "Lord Hokage thinks it would be best if…" from the masked men. After the masked men took him to the orphanage, he heard the whispers of people who thought that he couldn't hear them.

"The Hokage should have killed 'im in the crib." He didn't know why, but he's always had better hearing than everybody else. Except those dog people. They're around even sense-wise.

It was that sentence that bothered him. Why would a person who wanted the best for him, want to kill him? Whenever Naruto so much as looked at someone else the wrong way, he was scolded for it. Who was the Hokage, that he had enough power to kill him without consequences? Power like that scared him a bit.

Naruto understood that since he lived in a ninja village, the place was home to many ninja. If they wanted, they could kill him without a fuss. But he was still a civilian, and one that hadn't done anything wrong. When he went to the library – the only place in the village that didn't kick him out on site, besides the Ichiraku ramen stand – he picked up a book on village law. He didn't understand all of it, but he did understand that a person, usually a ninja, couldn't attack someone else without them saying that it was alright, like when they were training, or if they posed a threat to the village.

So, the Uzumaki decided to pay this Hokage a visit. He reasoned that a person powerful enough to bend the rules that way would be able to answer at least a few of his questions.

"You can do this, Uzumaki. You can do this…" Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat as he stepped forward. The man's office stood on the top floor of the building. He just hoped that he wouldn't get kicked out before he got there.

It felt strange walking through the Hokage Tower for the first time. He still got looks, but not all of them were _those_ looks. Instead, he got looks that said: "What is he doing here?" rather than "Get out, demon child!" it was especially awkward when he passed people in the stairs, and they had nowhere else to direct their attention.

When Naruto got to the secretary's desk, he continued the rest of his journey on his hands and knees. He was sure that he would be turned away if she noticed him there. Once he was past her line of sight, he stood back up and brushed some dust off his shorts.

He looked around for the Hokage's office. That's weird, Naruto thought. You'd think there would be more security around here. No one had stopped him on his way up. Especially since he had red hair and wasn't hiding: he shouldn't be that hard to notice. He had gotten a lot of looks downstairs too, so why didn't someone keep him from getting up here?

He was in some sort of rounded hall. It didn't wrap around all the way. There was only one door, a plain wooden one, with a doorknob at a height he could barely reach. He could feel his heart beating in his ears as he reached for the handle…only for it to move out of his reach as the door opened, revealing a short old man in white robes.

He met the old man's piercing stare with a curious look of his own. He cocked his head a little to the right, and squinted his eyes in thought. This was the Hokage? He didn't look as terrifying as the villagers made him seem. He wasn't that scary, but despite his height, Naruto felt like he towered over him. He made Naruto feel small in comparison. The two of them stayed still, watching each other, for what felt like a long time. Then, his face broke out into a comforting smile.

"Hello, Naruto. Why don't you come inside? Have a seat; I was just about to have some tea." He moved aside, allowing Naruto to pass through.

The office was surprisingly blank. It had three windows behind a somewhat large desk. The desk itself had a multitude of papers on and around it. The floor was made up of grey tiles, and reddish walls surrounded him on all sides. Naruto took a seat in a comfy looking chair on the side.

"How did you know I was coming?" he asked. The Hokage smiled as he sat down in his chair. Before he could answer, a man in the standard ninja uniform walked in, carrying a tray with a pot of tea and two cups on it.

"Your tea, Lord Hokage," the ninja said. The old man smiled gratefully.

"That will be all, Daichi." The man placed the tray on the desk, bowed respectfully, and left. The Hokage poured two cups of tea, handing one to Naruto. He gave the Hokage a small "thank you".

"When you get to be my age, you learn a few things. One of them is to keep your eyes everywhere."

"Huh?" Naruto didn't get it. But he decided not to press the issue. There were more important things to ask. He watched him slowly inhale the tea's scent before taking a small sip.

"Umm, sir?" The "sir" felt weird to say, but the Hokage might decide not to answer him if he wasn't respectful. "I was wondering if I could ask you something."

The Hokage nodded solemnly. "Of course, Naruto. Ask away."

Naruto had so many questions; it was hard for him to form even one. He finally decided to just go with the first thing that came to mind.

"Why…" he began nervously, "why does everybody hate me?" For a while, nothing was said. The Hokage just sat there, drinking his tea. Maybe he should explain a bit more?

"The villagers think that I don't hear their whispers either. I hear them talk about me when they think I'm not listening. They call me the "demon child". I don't understand: what did I do wrong? Why do they hate me? Why is it that whenever I'm around, I'm either rejected, or ignored completely?" He hasn't meant to pour out all of his troubles to the man, especially since he just met him, but once he started, he couldn't stop. It was like someone had broken the dam, and everything was just coming flooding out of his mouth. His hands were clenched around his teacup, trembling. The warm liquid threatened to spill over, but he didn't notice. Salty tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Naruto made no move to wipe them away.

"It's like they don't want me to exist," he whispered. His hands had stopped shaking, and his head dropped down to stare at the floor. The Hokage set his empty teacup on the desk and poured himself some more of the hot drink. Naruto didn't want to spill his, so he put his back on the desk, waiting for an answer.

"Naruto, listen to me." He lifted his head. The old man's eyes were looking straight into his with a burning intensity. "You have done nothing wrong, Naruto. You have nothing to be blamed for."

"Then why does everybody hate me so much?" He was becoming more and more desperate to know the answer. "Why do people act like I shouldn't exist?" The Hokage sighed, shaking his head.

"In the shinobi world, people hate what they fear." His answer wasn't something that Naruto expected. However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was true. When he walked through the streets, most adults glared at him, but not all. He noticed some, a small number, looked at him differently, like they were scared of him. They would take a glance at him, whisper something to the others, and run away. They avoided him like the plague, like he was a sickness that would infect everyone he touched.

"But why?" Naruto asked. "Why are they afraid of me?" The Hokage gazed at him sadly.

"People hate what they fear; and much of the time, people fear what they fail to understand, or what is different from themselves," the Hokage's answer puzzled him.

"I don't get it," Naruto said. "What's different about me? Is it my hair?" He ran a hand through his scalp. "I get that red's not the most common around here, but is that really why I'm different? Or these marks on my face?" His fingers traced the whisker-like lines on his cheeks. "There's a bunch of people around with a lot stranger things on their faces! Like those dog people and their triangle tattoos! Or that clan with the white eyes!" He was frantic. What was so different about him that everyone was afraid of him?

"What are they afraid of?" At first, it seemed like the Hokage didn't have an answer. He stared at Naruto, and to him, it felt like the Hokage's eyes were looking _through_ him, not at him.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but I can't say." The blond wiped his tears off on the back of his hand before glaring in defiance at the Hokage.

"Can't say, or don't want to say, old man?" All thoughts about being respectful flew out the window. The Hokage knew why the village hated him, but he wasn't telling.

"I _can't _say, Naruto." He didn't miss the Hokage's emphasis on the "can't". What was so secretive that even the Hokage couldn't say it aloud?

"Perhaps when you're a bit older, I can tell you." The Hokage took another sip of his tea.

"Then, what can I do to stop them from hating me?" Naruto asked. He was so anxious to know the answer. "What can I do to stop them from fearing me?" Just then, the Hokage smiled; an action that caught Naruto off guard.

"Prove it." When he saw the confusion on Naruto's face, he explained, "Show them all that you're more than just something for them to fear. Prove to them, that you are more than what you seem."

Naruto was stunned. "Prove to them…that I'm more?" The Hokage nodded, and a small smile formed on his face. It took him a moment for the Hokage's words to sink in, but once they did, a grin matching the Hokage's own twisted onto his face. Naruto stood up; suddenly glad he had placed his untouched tea down on the desk. He bowed in gratitude, nearly snapping his neck with the force of his movement.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage." He turned and was about to leave the room, when a word from the esteemed man behind him stopped Naruto in his tracks.

"Not so fast, Naruto. It's a good thing you came: there's something I would like to speak with you about." He stopped, sinking back down into the chair he had just vacated. A red eyebrow rose in question. What would the Hokage need to speak with him about?

"Do you know when your birthday is, Naruto?" the Hokage asked. He tilted his head in confusion.

"October tenth, sir." That was one tidbit that the masked men had drilled in him before they left him in the orphanage.

"And how old would that make you today?"

"Six, sir." He paused in thought. "What does my birthday have to do with anything?" The Hokage placed a hand on his goatee, absently stroking it along its length. He turned his head up towards the ceiling, all the while watching Naruto out of the corner of his eye and putting a look on that reminded Naruto of a "thinking face". This must be the Hokage's.

"Hmm…Six, you say? Old enough for a person to, let's see, enroll in the Ninja Academy?" If Naruto was stunned before, then he was shocked speechless now. He hadn't even given any thought to being a ninja.

_This is your chance. Prove that Naruto Uzumaki isn't just someone they can walk all over,_ said the little voice of reason. Naruto smiled, and bowed again.

"I would love a chance to become a shinobi, Lord Hokage." The old man nodded sagely, and handed Naruto a packet of papers.

"In that case, fill these papers out, and bring them to the Academy on your first day. All of the information you need is on the first few pages." Naruto took the papers from the Hokage's wrinkled hands, and bowed again.

"Yes sir!" He all but ran out of the door in excitement. As he closed the door behind him, Naruto heard a voice from behind him say a small "good luck". Naruto's eyes narrowed in determination. As much as good luck would be a blessing, Naruto was a little skeptical about whether he'd actually get any. So, he decided, he wouldn't rely on chance. He'd create his own luck. He'd work hard to be a great ninja. He made a promise to himself, right then and there, that he would be a great ninja; one who gets things done the right way: through hard work.

* * *

"Hi, Gramps." Naruto opened the door to the Hokage's office tentatively, making sure that he wasn't interrupting anything important. He dumped his backpack on the ground, to the right of the door. "I'm ready for work!"

The Hokage smiled. "Excellent. How was your day at the academy, Naruto?" The twelve year old took a stack of papers off the Hokage's desk, and flopped on the chair to the side of the room.

"Yesterday was alright. Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei have been going through review sessions on the stuff we've learned for the final exams next week. Today we went over the basics of decoding." Naruto frowned, forming a crease down the middle of his forehead. He started sorting the papers by priority. "I got all of those problems right, but the bonus question was wrong. I thought it said: 'Keep your hands off my poodle,' but Shikamaru said the phrase was "Death keeps us on our toes.' Iruka-sensei said we all got it wrong, but he didn't tell us what the answer was. He said we had to 'figure it out ourselves.'"

It had become routine for them. After that first meeting with the Hokage, Naruto started to come by the office more often for tea. The visits were nice, but then he realized that the Hokage was too busy to keep having Naruto interrupt his work. So he volunteered to help the Hokage with the more mundane aspects of the job: like running small errands and helping him organize all of his papers and files. Sometimes, Naruto even got to help him work the mission's desk (Some active ninjas are weird…). The old man protested at first, but Naruto kept insisting.

"It's the least I can do, especially considering how much you do for everyone else," Naruto persisted. "And this means that I can come here more often!"

Eventually, the Hokage relented, deciding that it would be good work experience. After the first few weeks, the Hokage realized that Naruto's – as a certain green spandex wearing jounin would put it – _youthful energy_ was decreasing the workload around his office, and decided to start paying him a small stipend. They worked out a schedule: Naruto would come in every Monday through Friday for a few hours, after the academy lessons were over, and have weekends off.

The extra money that he earned wasn't much, but his savings added up, allowing him to move into an apartment by the Academy. It was a little small by normal standards, and it left him with not many extra ryos in his pocket, but Naruto thought that the place felt cozy.

Naruto's voice took on a noticeably more somber tone, but he kept the conversation going. "Things are still a little quiet on the acknowledgement front. The villagers haven't seen enough of me to really change their opinions. The kids in my class are nice and all, but we don't really talk all that much. I'm usually busy with either coming here, at the library, or training. A lot of them don't really like the library, so they don't really come by all that often. Sometimes I'll share a bowl or two of ramen with some of the kids in my class, like Shikamaru, or Chouji. On the bright side, ever since I've started working here, the ninjas have gotten used to me being around. They even say hi when I go around doing stuff for you."

The Hokage always had an ear to listen. That's what Naruto liked about him.

"And how are you doing with your studies? Think you're ready for the Genin Test?" Naruto stopped sorting for a minute to think about it.

"I dunno. I'm doing fine with the basic stuff, ya know. I know all the shinobi rules, I can do math for a little while before my brain starts hurting. My accuracy with weapons is pretty good, if I do say so myself. Not as good as that genin, Tenten, but still pretty good." Naruto shifted in his seat. "My Replacement and Transform jutsus are fine. It's the Clone jutsu that hates me. No matter what I do about it, I can never get it right. They always come out looking like they're on drugs or drunk on something. Iruka-sensei tries to help, but even then I can't get it. He says that I need more control on my chakra – maybe I'll check out something from the library on it later."

"What really bothers me though is my taijutsu!" The Hokage was almost taken by surprise by the force he heard behind Naruto's voice. "I always end up screwing up! I do the motions that the teachers tell us to, but nothing feels right to me. I'll be in the middle of a form or a spar, and something feels off, so I try fixing it, but then I end up putting my foot wrong and screwing up or something. I'm so bad at taijutsu that Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei don't have the time to help me out, 'cus it would take too long." He gave Naruto a small smile.

"Just be patient, Naruto," he said. "I'm sure that with enough practice, you'll get it. Maybe you could try asking one of the jounin to help you?"

"Maybe. Yeah, that might work. Thanks!" That was another thing that Naruto liked about the Hokage. The old guy always gave him helpful suggestions.

"You're welcome. Now, in the meantime," The Hokage handed Naruto a manila envelope and a small piece of paper with an address on it. "Could you deliver that to Iruka? He should be on his way home right about now."

"No problem, Gramps." Naruto took the envelope and headed out the door.

* * *

"West Midori Street…? Oh, he lives near the library!" he said to himself as he walked down the road. The shops around here looked a bit barren, but the restaurants seemed packed. It was around dinner time, after all. The sun was just starting to set on the west side of the village, setting an orange and gold glow on the streets. Naruto eventually came to a small apartment building.

"Unit Twenty-five A…" He opened the door to the inside, and found the stairs on his right. "Twenty…Twenty-three…Twenty-five!" A few raps on the door, and he came face to face with his scarred mentor. "Hi Iruka-sensei!"

His sensei looked at him in disbelief. "Naruto, what are you doing here?" He handed him the envelope.

"Lord Hokage wanted me to give this to you." Iruka took the envelope and looked it over.

"Thank you, Naruto. But why did Lord Hokage want _you_ do deliver this?" he asked. Naruto shrugged.

"I guess I was just the closest one at the time? Anyways, I gotta go. See ya later, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto waved goodbye to him on his way out of the building. Once he was outside, he stretched, and broke out into a run back to the office. Or, he would have, if he didn't bump into someone when he turned the corner. Literally. He ran into someone larger than him, and ended up sprawled on the ground.

"Naruto, are you ok?" Naruto opened his eyes to meet a man with gray eyes and hair. A ninja headband was tied around the person's neck.

"Hi Mizuki-sensei. Yeah, I'm ok." He picked himself off the ground. "I wish I could stay and chat, but I need to get going." Naruto scanned the dirt to make sure he didn't drop anything, and started running again to the Hokage Tower.

"Bye Mizuki-sensei!" he called over his shoulder.

When his back was turned, Naruto didn't notice the malevolent stare being shot in his direction.

* * *

A/N: Hello again. :) Here's another chapter. There's really not much that happens in this one. It's kind of just here to help transition through the gap from when he was a baby to when the start of the series rolls around. Next chapter is really where I'll pick up on where the anime/manga started.

Daichi is just a random chunin OC. He's just there to fetch the Hokage tea ;). I have no idea where Iruka actually lives, so I just made up the street. Sorry if the ending feels a bit rushed. I really just wanted to get this chapter done so I could start on the next one.

As promised, this Author's Note is a lot shorter than the last one. I counted the words and last time it was 700 words, haha. Anyways, the next chapter will actually start around the same time as the anime and manga did: at the Genin Test. Please remember to leave some feedback. I'd love to hear how you think this is turning out so far. Thanks for reading!


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